February 2008

Public Works Landscaping move (Chapel Hill)

This notice came from Chapel Hill's eNews just a little while ago:

MoveOn's Super Duper Tuesday Party to watch the primary results from 22 states

Election season is really ramping up. February 5th is Super Tuesday, when 22 states will vote in presidential primaries. It’s a huge, historic day. It could decide the presidential nominees. So MoveOn is getting people together for an exciting, social, and fun event. We’ll watch live coverage of Super Tuesday, and we’ll get revved up for our election work this year by getting a sneak peak at our big bad plan to win the White House. MoveOn's efforts to put progressives in power this fall is centered around their program called Operation Democracy.

Operation Democracy is about taking MoveOn's work beyond email and signing petitions into the community, making it easy for busy, ordinary people like us to take powerful action on national issues at the local level. Our country is facing huge challenges. The vast majority of Americans want to end the war in Iraq, however, corporate special interests and right-wing conservatives are exerting their influence to keep the war going since companies like Halliburton, Blackwater, and other contractors operating under no-bid contracts can continue to rake in huge profits.
We think the best way to get our country back on track is to organize and strengthen the progressive movement through powerful grassroots efforts. Operation Democracy is MoveOn’s national network of committed volunteers and is built around hundreds of local councils. Through the work of these Councils, we can pressure elected officials to take a stand on issues that matter to us and, if they don’t, we’ll work to replace them with people that will.
We have actions about once a month on a critical national issue. In December, a group of MoveOn volunteers delivered petitions signed by members in Chapel Hill and Durham to David Price's office protesting any aggressive action toward Iran. This fall, Councils will form the backbone of MoveOn’s massive Get-Out-the-Vote campaigns to make sure the new president and at least a 60-member veto-proof majority in the Senate are elected!
The job of the council is to build power in the community by recruiting new members and by running great events (like the Super Duper Tuesday party). Councils have coordinator and core members who do most of the planning and other folks who mostly just come to events. They also get support and guidance from volunteer regional coordinators and staff organizers and get to use some great on-line tools to organize and run the events. MoveOn also provides a great set of materials for each event so the core members know exactly what to do.
Through MoveOn’s national network of Operation Democracy councils, we can fight hard on national issues that we all care about, work to win elections so we can have more progressives in power, and then hold them accountable. In Chapel Hill, we’re working to build a strong council so if you are interested in working toward taking back our country, please join our council. If you are unable to attend but are interested in stepping up to help, please email or call me.
Elizabeth
Regional Coordinator for MoveOn
h: 380-8926 elyne@nc.rr.com

Date: 

Tuesday, February 5, 2008 - 1:48pm

Location: 

A MoveOn member's house in Southern Village. Use this link to sign up: http://political.moveon.org/event/supertueswatch/42512

Is Every Crime A Life Sentence? Is the Debt to Society Ever Paid?

Today, in a news report by WRAL's Cullen Browder, posted on WRAL.com, House Speaker Joe Hackney was "linked" to convicted felon Bladen County business man Ron Taylor by the fact that his name appeared below Taylor's on an invitation to a political fundraiser. Taylor was convicted in 1982 of accepting a bribe while serving in the statehouse and also pleaded guilty of plotting to setting a rival's tobacco warehouse on fire.

Chris Fitzsimon, executive director of government watchdog group NC Policy Watch, was quoted as saying "It's a little troubling that, in this era of public mistrust of government and all the ethics scandals, that our leaders wouldn't be a little more careful about where their name is used."

Speaker Hackney says he plans to uphold his promise and attend the fundraiser.

The Orange County Ticket?

I was thinking the other day about the possibility, albeit slim, that come primary-time in May I'd have the ability to vote for a full slate of folks who live within five or ten miles of my front door. I won't say that any of these would have been my natural choice, but I'm assuming that even with his campaign in suspension, Edwards will still be on the ballot for president; Chapel Hillians Jim Neal and David Price could snatch my votes for Senate and House; at least in theory I could vote for Chapel Hill resident Bev Purdue for governor; and let's not forget lieutenant governor candidate Hampton Dellinger, who grew up in town though he's since fled to Durham.

They spent HOW MUCH?

I've had several people contact me and ask for a post about the final 2007 campaign finance figures. (And yet none of them offerred to write it themselves, hmmm.) The results are pretty interesting. The Independent Weekly wrote a summary including Chapel Hill.

He placed fourth in the race, but first in cash: Council challenger Matt Czajkowski spent at least $20,000 in the election cycle—more than fellow candidates Sally Greene, Cam Hill and Bill Strom combined. Ninety percent came from Czajkowski's own pocket, via $17,750 in self-loans.

Czajkowski came in fourth in the seven-person race for four seats, squeaking by incumbent Hill by 63 votes.

In total, Strom raised $9,380 and spent $6,497; Greene raised $7,881 and spent $5,669; and Hill raised $5,485 and spent $5,566 (he had cash on hand from his 2003 race). Top vote-getter and incumbent Jim Ward, who pledged not to spend more than $3,000, had not submitted a final report as of Jan. 29.

New Radio Show - editorial, opinions - call me and voice your opinion

Tune in to Carrboro's radio station 103.5 FM every Friday at 11am for my show 'The Voice of Reason'

featuring editorials and opinions from our community and around the world. Some of my favorite topics include:

government, healthcare, taxes, climate change, gun control, the subprime mess, the war,

Sunny Side Up?

There's been something floating around in my head since Monday night's council meeting. One item from the consent agenda entitled "Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Request a Fee Waiver from Duke Energy for Town Solar Energy Projects with 'Buy All/Sell All' Metering," sparked a mini-feud between Matt Czajkowski and Mayor Foy. Apparently, Duke Energy charges a rate for two-way metering that is significantly more than the rate they charge for a meter box on a typical usage-only application. As in, perhaps several times more. The exorbitant fee is putting a damper on the rate of return on the town's experimental panels on top of the fire station, and the mayor wanted to ask Duke if they could provide a more reasonable rate, whereas this is a rather experimental project, and is benefiting both Duke (who is getting the energy at peak usage hours, aka daylight hours), and the entire community, as per environmental benefits.

Subsidise Local???

Someone brought up the idea of downtown businesses giving a discount for people shopping off peak hours. Unfortunately, small business really doesn't have the money to do that. Part of that is that State and Local subsidies and development go to out of town ventures - like Interstate 40, The Parton Theater and Carolina North. We encourage people to buy locally, but what is government doing to help local businesses?

I don't have any preconceived notions on this, just the usual anectdotal evidence that many cite as fact. However, it is interesting how Micro-Loans have helped in developing countries. I believe someone won a Nobel Prize with that one.

As a taxpayer and homeowner in Chapel Hill, I am in favor of things that help out working people (and students) like free bus service. I feel like that is giving people a hand-up rather than a hand out and helps local business, the environment and actually keeps taxes lower (fewer car trips, fewer road repairs).

Richard Florida Awestruck by It's Carrboro Video

Over at Monica Doss's blog The Monica Chronicles I found this great post called At Home in the Kingdom of Carrberia (aka the Paris of the Piedmont). It contains this quote from Richard Florida. "In a word it (the 'Its Carroboro' Video) is amazing. It is exactly the message our communities need to send, not to just to each other but to the world." Monica is the president of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development in Durham.

First day of availability of absentee ballots

Date: 

Monday, March 17, 2008 - 4:00am

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